Without citing any specific sources, it seems clear that Republicans believe Democrats and their supporting groups are playing a role in the ongoing series of Foley revelations, like the latest IMs from 2003 published by ABC News. At this point in the story, most Republicans aren’t saying it, because they don’t want to be seen as trying to minimize the seriousness of what Foley did. But you didn’t have to read too much between the lines of Denny Hastert’s statement to the press yesterday:

Anyone who had knowledge of these vile instant messages should have turned them over to authorities immediately so that kids could be protected.
I repeat again, the Republican Leaders of the House did not have them. We have all said so. On the record. But someone did have them. And the ethics committee, the Justice Department, the news media – or anyone who can — should help us find out who.
Yesterday I sent a letter to the Attorney General requesting he investigate to what extent any federal laws were violated by Congressman Foley, and also to find out who might have known about the sexually explicit instant messages. I was pleased to read in the newspaper this morning that the FBI has begun to investigate.

In that letter to the Attorney General, Hastert made the point even more clearly:

…since the [explicit IMs] appear to have existed for three years, there should be an investigation into the extent there are persons who knew or had possession of these messages but did not report them to the appropriate authorities. It is important to know who may have had the communications and why they were not given to prosecutors before now.
Therefore, I also request that the Department undertake an investigation into who had specific knowledge of the content of any sexually explicit communications between Mr. Foley and any former or current House pages and what actions such individuals took, if any, to provide them to law enforcement. I request that the scope of your investigation include any and all individuals who may have been aware of this matter—be they Members of Congress, employees of the House of Representatives, or anyone outside the Congress.

If the Justice Department follows up on Hastert’s request, the House is going to be faced with some of the same issues it encountered in the investigation into Rep. William “Cold Cash” Jefferson. How far can executive branch investigators go in getting information from the offices of members of Congress? In the Jefferson case, Hastert took a hard line with the Justice Department, and those investigators still haven’t seen some material from Jefferson’s office. Now, how much will Hastert cooperate with the investigation that he himself has called for?